Alabama is for the dogs. A new survey released by the American Veterinary Medical Association found that Alabama ranked 7th in the nation for dog ownership. Canines can be found in 44 percent of homes in the state. Cats aren't feeling the same kind of love. Only 27.4 percent of homes had a cat, which puts Alabama 8th from the... Full story »

With billions of dollars earmarked for coastal restoration in Alabama in the aftermath of the BP oil spill, choosing how to spend the money has emerged as one of the biggest challenges. After the passage of the RESTORE Act, various groups and government agencies began lobbying for everything from new roads and bridges to new oyster reefs. While it was... Full story »

As options dwindle for stopping a proposed coal mine that will discharge mining wastes just upstream from Birmingham's drinking water source, the University of Alabama still won't say if it will allow mining on its land. A mining company owned by the Drummond family has secured the required permits to begin mining on a 1,773 acre site, most of which... Full story »

The 2013 red snapper season may be just 27 days long, nearly two weeks shorter than last year's 40-day season, which was the shortest on record. It is also possible the 2013 season could end up even shorter than 27 days. Much shorter. Louisiana and Florida have hinted they may opt to regulate snapper fishing in their state waters... Full story »

For the first time in 30 years, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports that Birmingham will be classed as "in attainment" of the six primary air quality standards measured by federal officials. Full story »

Alabama Power's coal-fired Gaston Steam Plant is listed as the second largest source of mercury pollution in the nation in a report released by the Environmental Integrity Project. The plant, located in Shelby County, emitted 1,244 pounds of mercury in 2011 according to statistics maintained by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The Environmental Integrity Project, a watchdog group advocating cleaner... Full story »

After a decade or so of somewhat breathless warnings of a jellyfish apocalypse unfolding in the world’s oceans, new research by an international coalition of scientists suggests that the global jellyfish population may be about the same size it always was. Rob Condon with the Dauphin Island Sea Lab was the lead researcher on a scientific paper published this... Full story »

In response to reporting by AL.com that showed Alabama’s two largest gas utilities cost citizens about $260 million a year compared to utilities in the neighboring states, one member of the Alabama Public Service Commission has called for formal hearings. Commissioner Terry Dunn plans to ask his fellow commissioners to vote for formal hearings at the first PSC meeting of the year, on January 8, 2013. PSC president Twinkle Cavanaugh previously announced an informal inquiry into the higher rates highlighted in the Al.com reporting. Informal hearings are not as rigorous as formal hearings, and typically participants are not under oath. Full story »

Alabama is getting greener. For decades, the state has lagged behind much of the nation when it comes to adopting environmentally friendly practices, such as recycling. But a look back at progress made in the past year suggests Alabama is starting to catch up. Full story »

Tiny butter yellow flowers popping up along roadsides and in fields gone fallow give away the presence of one of the secret delicacies of the fall and winter. Mustard greens are flowering right now, small flowers waving above big clumps of deep green leaves. Full story »

CBS News made a huge error today in a report that aired on its CBS This Morning program, an error that raised fears the Deepwater Horizon well was leaking. In the report, a CBS reporter states “BP confirmed that oil was leaking from the containment dome that capped the original leak in 2010.” This statement is false. Full story »

The lionfish speared along the Perdido Pass jetties at Orange Beach on Saturday is now part of a federal study aimed at documenting the spread of the invasive species in the Gulf. Alex Fogg, a biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, picked up the carcass of the lionfish on Tuesday, as well as a few specimens collected in... Full story »

If Alabama'ÂÂs two largest gas utilities, Mobile Gas and Alagasco, charged the rates paid by natural gas customers in Mississippi and Georgia, people and businesses in Alabama would have saved about $260 million in 2010. Using similar comparisons based on information in federal, state and company documents, the 500,000 customers of the two utilities would have saved more than a billion dollars collectively since 2006. Full story »

Alabama's two largest gas utilities Alabama's utilities charge their customers much more to transport gas than two utilities in neighboring states. Such transportation tariffs come into play when businesses purchase their natural gas on the national wholesale market, then pay the fee to local utilities to deliver it to them. Full story »

The lionfish invasion continues. I shot a small lionfish Saturday afternoon during a scuba dive along the jetties at Perdido Pass in Orange Beach. State biologists said it was the first confirmed sighting they knew of in shallow water along the Alabama Coast. The lionfish was holding against a large boulder in about 14 feet of water. Since their arrival... Full story »

Saturday afternoon in New Orleans, sitting in a chair pulled off the bridge of the Starship Enterprise, it was possible to watch a quintet of Orion slave girls with pea green skin flirt with passersby while Master Chief chatted amiably with Dead Pool and Dr. Who. Full story »

MOBILE, Alabama -- The first public meeting of the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council will be held in Mobile on December 11, 2012. The council was created by the RESTORE Act to help draft and supervise a recovery plan for the Gulf ecosystem and the local economies affected by the BP's 2010 oil spill. Under the RESTORE Act, 80 percent... Full story »

Gov. Robert Bentley appointed Jeremy Oden to fill a vacant spot on the Alabama Public Service Commission. Oden will fill a vacancy created when Twinkle Cavanaugh was elected PSC president in November. Oden will serve out the remaining two years of Cavanaugh's original position. Oden has represented state House District 11, which covers parts of Cullman, Blount, and Morgan counties,... Full story »